Exploits of a Vegan Wannabe

Enter to win prizes for our birthday celebration!

On April 21st Exploits of A Vegan Wannabe will turn one year old.  Beginning Monday April 19th I will give away a birthday present every day until Saturday April 24th. One of the prizes is  a copy of The Conscious Cook by vegan celebrity chef Tal Ronnen. It is eye candy from cover to cover.

Here is how to win:

1. For every comment on the blog now until April 19th you will receive one entry

2. “Like” Exploits Of a Vegan Wannabe on Facebook, then comment on Facebook so I know you’ve hopped into our group of friends and you will receive two entries

3. Comment on any recipe you have made from the blog with your successes or suggestions  and you will receive three entries.

I will keep adding your entries to a biggie bucket of tickets and then will begin drawing on April 19th for prizes galore.

Mood Food

The night before last I had planned to make a new recipe from the Engine 2 book for dinner. The recipe was for an open faced sandwich on toasted bread. All of the toppings were cold, including hummus, a truck load of veggies and fresh squeezed lemon juice. It sounded like a perfect idea the day before when I hatched that plan but as the day wore on, it became increasingly more gray, rainy and bone chilling cold. I thought to myself, “I want a chicken pot pie with a side of vegan chocolate chip cookies and a vegan hot chocolate chaser, not a cold veggie sandwich.” But, I had already made the hummus and planned on creating the sandwich for the blog, so I kind of begrudgingly went ahead with it.  In my heart, I wanted to feed the blues, not my body.

I toasted the bread, stacked the veggies on top of the hummus and made it rain lemon pepper and fresh lemon juice on top for a finale. It was beautiful, absolutely stunning in its simplicity.

Photo By: S. Duquet

The first bite was transformative in its veggie power. The lemon was the key to a lock I didn’t know existed. It has never occurred to me to drizzle lemon juice over a sandwich as a condiment. The flavor blew my mind. It was more wonderful than mustard, vegan mayonnaise and all the condiments of any price that I have ever purchased. It was fresh and bright and lively. It woke up my taste-buds and made me smile.   Every bite made me feel more joyous and alive.

Photo By: S. Duquet

So here it is…this may sound crazy, but I really want to share because of how wonderful it felt. By the time the meal was over, I felt giddy with energy and a positive vibe. My mind craved heavy, higher fat foods out of familiarity and comfort. What I had never realized that listening to my mind or craving and consuming those types of foods out of comfort left me feeling sluggish, depressed and more lethargic than before. As the chilling Spring rain slapped against our kitchen window, we consumed the sun for dinner. It could have been 85 degrees and sunny outside. My disposition didn’t  know the difference and I have never, ever experienced such a positive reaction from food until now.

Photo By: S. Duquet

Thank you Engine 2 and thank you plant based whole foods. Amazing. Who needs antidepressants when you have cucumbers and fresh lemons?

Mood Food Sandwich

Based on the recipe for the E2 Basics Open Faced Sandwich with slight modifications by S. Duquet

Ingredients

4 slices of  whole grain bread ( I used Ezekial)

Homemade oil free hummus (recipe below)

1 cucumber with skin on sliced very thin

1 C cilantro

10 black olives thinly sliced

Handful of pea shoots or sprouts of choice

Shredded carrots ( I purchased these in a bag)

Lemon pepper to taste

Juice from 1/2 lemon to drizzle over sandwiches

Make It Happen

~Toast bread and slather a think layer of hummus or Kale Butter on each piece.

~Layer veggies on top of each piece

~sprinkle with lemon pepper and drizzle generously with lemon juice

Prepare for the joy ride of your gastrointestinal life. It is crunchy, soft, lemony and creamy. It is the most delicious sandwich and the variations are endless. Next time I am going to add arugula and maybe some snap peas

Have a delicious day. Keep your comments coming for your chance to win an Exploits birthday present.

Tags: compassionate eating, cooking with herbs, dairy free, Engine 2 Diet, going veg, healthy homemade hummus recipe, homemade hummus, mood food, no oil hummus, oil free hummus, open faced sandwich, plant based diet, plant strong, trying vegan, trying vegetarian, vegan, vegan challenge, vegan entree, vegan experience, vegan recipe, vegan sandwich recipe, vegan transition, vegan wannabe, vegetarian recipe, vegetarian transition